One of the first things I do every morning in Iowa is look up the weather report. I usually do this from the safety of hibernation–while I’m still under the covers. I want to be prepared. In my old farmhouse, the floor can wake you up much faster than the alarm clock.

More recently, I have also been checking the wind. Not the wind outside per se, but the way my thoughts are blowing. I have noticed that the way I think first thing in the morning will affect my entire day. Though, I consider myself an optimist, I still can wake up groaning. Sometimes I can feel the weight of piles of work before I even start to work. As Calvin and Hobbes so eloquently states, my to-do list is so long I shall never die. I confess the way I talk to myself about it stinks. Though I confess to talking to myself outloud sometimes, the way I talk inside my head is by far the most important. Like the snow outside, our thoughts can swirl around and collect and accumulate on almost anything. They can quickly become a beautiful adornment or an obstacle to our progress.

But there are a few tools that we can use to dig out from the obstacle kind of thinking.

The first is simply a gut check. Become aware of your feelings. We often hit the floor running and do not take the time to be honest and reflect on how we are feeling. Take a moment to stop the thoughts swirling around in your head and look at them. 

Next, get a vision check. Seeing mountains as molehills and molehills as mountains is fairly common for human beings. Check your perspective. Are you using words like “never” and “can’t” and “always”? Whenever distorted thoughts pile up, you can be assured that distorted beliefs are underneath, and they will impede or completely oppose your progress. What is it that you truly believe? To date, you have made it through 100% of your difficult and bad days. That is a mighty good track record. Is this truly an insurmountable mountain you are looking at, or is that a distortion? Distinguish fact from fiction, and replace your lies with the truth. Nothing can happen today that you and God cannot handle together. While He won’t do your work for you, He is there to help you.

Now, gain some perspective. Get outside yourself and become your own best friend. What would your best friend say about way you are talking to yourself if you shared your thoughts with her? What would you say to any good friend if they had shared these things to you? Do you really think that you can beat yourself up, and after that, have a good day? Start being as kind to yourself as you are to your friends, and respect yourself enough to talk to yourself as your friend talks to you.

Action check. So you feel less than confident. You wish you had more X or more Y. Some angst can be good. I’m glad you are not content with yourself where you are, because that would mean you had stopped growing. Instead of comparing yourself to others, compete against yourself. How can you become a little bit better today than you were yesterday? Make sure you are doing those foundational things to improve your lot. Do not wait around for opportunities to present themselves. Get ready for them. Nothing worth achieving happens overnight.

When you wake up tomorrow, check your thoughts along with the weather. Check your expectations for your day. If you believe you are going to have a bad day, problems will blow in and accumulate right in front of you. But if you are expecting a good day, that is what you will find. You need only to open the door and invite the good stuff in. 

˙ǝƃuɐɥɔ ʇɐ ʞool noʎ sƃuᴉɥʇ ǝɥʇ ‘sƃuᴉɥʇ ʇɐ ʞool noʎ ʎɐʍ ǝɥʇ ǝƃuɐɥɔ noʎ uǝɥM Wayne Dyer

That is this week’s Imagination Hat.